Welcome To Your 21st Century Breakdown Post by: Eddie Ruckus - Rockin' Blogger 15 May, 2009 - 7:37 AM

So much hype, so much hope, so much bleakness. Will love conquer all?

All is revealed today as Green Day releases its eighth studio album, one of the most highly anticipated rock albums of the modern era, 21st Century Breakdown.

Obviously, the album is expected to instantly top charts around the world, including here in Australia and in the US. Over in America, Green Day’s label has shipped 650,000 physical copies of the CD into stores. The band’s last record, 2004’s American Idiot, sold 267,000 copies in its first week in the US alone.

21st Century Breakdown has already received rave reviews. Britain’s heavy rock bible Kerrang! has awarded it a five-out-of-five rating, while Rolling Stone magazine in the US isn’t too far behind, giving the record four-and-a-half stars.

Green Day also graces the cover of the new edition of Rolling Stone magazine that hit the streets in the US this week. Inside, Billie Joe Armstrong reveals that he kept the lyrics of 21st Century Breakdown a secret from his bandmates until the last possible moment.

Also, the record’s producer, Butch Vig, who also produced Nirvana’s legendary Nevermind album, says he sees many similarities between Billie Joe’s “brilliant mind” and that of the late great Kurt Cobain. “I saw the same thing in Kurt,” says Vig. “When he played, it was like he was free.” [Are you reading this Brandon Flowers?]

Green Day will spend today signing copies of the album for fans in New York. On Monday they play a small club show in the city which will be broadcast to the rest of the world on MySpace.

So, do you plan to immediately rush out and buy a copy of 21st Century Breakdown?

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Leave your comment

• Jimmy says

  The boys are back. Plus, I loved the Green Day video interviews on the site.

  Just one thing though, has anyone else noticed how much Billie Joe hogs all the limelight. Mike and Tre barely have room to say anything!

  Posted Friday 15 May, 2009 11:43 AM
• james says

  I thought this was a great Green Day album but for a while I couldn't help but wonder if they'd gone backwards after American Idiot.
  

  The last album was so scathing of society and all its ills. Then I listened to it and replaced christian and gloria with church and state (government).
  

  They've always been cheeky with their lyrics, but they've got a story within a story and if you listen to the whole album with the above in mind, every single lyric makes sense, even the love ballad!
  

  Good on you boys, now I think this is probably the best album they've ever done.

  Posted Sunday 17 May, 2009 9:28 AM